Is Discectomy Spine Surgery Right for My Sciatica?

A discectomy is an invasive surgical procedure that removes herniated disc material that is protruding into the spinal canal and pressing upon nerve tissue. This pressure can cause numbness, weakness, tingling, or mild to severe pain in the back and leg.

Rolfing Ten Series session three completes what was initiated in the first-hour, defining the body in three-dimensional space (x,y,z). This session should allow the inhibited tissue in the sleeve to ease, and enable the work to transition to a deeper layer in the fourth session.

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What Happens In A Discectomy? In a traditional discectomy -- often referred to as an open discectomy -- an incision is made in the patient's back over the herniated disc region. Muscle tissue around the herniated disc is removed and a retractor may be used to keep the muscle tissue and skin out of the way which gives the surgeon better access to the surgical area. In some cases, some of the vertebrae bone -- called the lamina -- may need to be removed to allow the surgeon better access to the disc. This procedure is called a laminectomy. Once the herniated disc fragments have been removed, the muscle tissue is put back and the surgical incision is closed with sutures.

Herniated Discs Here is a simplified explanation of what happens with a ruptured or herniated disc. The disc itself is kind of like a soft jelly-filled donut. The outer wall of the disc is called the annulus fibrosus and the inner part of the disc -- the jelly part -- is called the nucleus pulposus. When the outer part of the disc becomes weakened, it can tear and allow some of the inner nucleus pulposus to leak out. When this inner jelly presses on the surrounding nerve tissue it can weakness, tingling and pain in the back and legs.

In most sciatica cases you are told to stretch to ease muscle tension. You are told that it is a disc and you may need surgery or at least a long rehabilitation. Yet more than 87% of all sciatica cases have this joint involved. The joint is...

For you to beat sciatica and remain pain free you need to address this joint. You need to relax the tight muscles around your lower back and pelvis, improve the nerve and blood supply to the weaker muscles, improve joint function in your lower back and balance the pelvis.

Lets start with the basic question on most peoples mind, what is sciatica? The general term used for pain being felt along the sciatic nerve is sciatica. This pain is usually described by patients as a sharp electric shocking type pain that starts in the buttocks and travels down the back of the thigh and leg. Most often caused by a herniated disk, there are also other causes. When diagnosing sciatica symptoms a MRI scan is most often taken to help with this process. If your MRI shows a herniated disk make sure to get referred to a spine specialist. A spine specialist can look over your X-rays and be able to recommend the proper course of treatment.

However in sciatica the key is to make sure your Sacro-Iliac joints are moving correctly. Fail to do this and your sciatica may very well become chronic. Something you can avoid easily by learning simple ways to get this joint moving now!

Something that is seldom taught by structural practitioners. Why? Your sciatica would disappear and not return. Leaving your therapist without a patient to treat for the next few years or longer. The big problem is most practitioners will not even assess this joint as being a problem in sciatica.

The Sacro-Iliac joint is not a normal joint; the sacrum itself is affected by your occiput (the back of your skull). Both of these joints move in tandem when you breathe. If this mechanism tightens then your entire spine will stiffen and especially the Sacro-iliac joints. Your meninges (the sheath covering your spinal cord) attaches into the base of your skull, has a minor attachment in the spine between your shoulder blades, and then again at the base of the spine at the sacrum/coccyx.

Lumbar Facet Joint Syndrome: The pain coming from the joints in your back with this particular symptom can cause Sciatica like symptoms along with pain and discomfort. Just like the knee and elbow can get inflamed and cause pain, the facet joint is like any other joint in your body and follows these same rules.

As a result, the patient can experience less pain and a quicker recovery. Not all patients are able undergo discectomies or microdiscectomies. A lot has to do with the particular nature of the patient's herniated disc.

Before being considered for either type of surgery, the doctor will typically have an imaging study performed such as an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) or a CT (computed tomography) scan in order to help diagnose the specific cause of the problem. Discectomy and microdiscectomy procedures are normally done in a hospital under general anesthesia. In some cases discectomy can be performed in an outpatient surgical center.

This article is not meant to replace the advice of your personal health care provider. Be sure to consult with your physician to explore all your back pain treatment options before taking any medical course of action.

Microdiscectomy Alternative A newer, less invasive form of discectomy is also now available. This procedure is called a microdiscectomy and uses special magnifying and muscle-spreading instruments to allow the surgeon to view and operate on the herniated disc region. The surgeon can then perform the procedure through a smaller incision and cause less damage to the surrounding muscle and tissue.

The most common joint to cause sciatica is seldom listed. The joint that allows sciatica to become chronic because it is rarely corrected. The joint you use in almost every activity, whether you bend, lift, twist or even turn over in bed. This joint has no disc and hence can become inflamed and cause back pain and sciatica easily.

Some signs and symptoms of sciatica are: A cramping sensation of the thigh Shooting pains from the buttock, down the leg Tingling, or pins-and-needles sensations in the legs and thighs A burning sensation in the thigh Maneuvers such as squatting, coughing or sneezing worsen the sciatica symptoms that the patient is having. The cause of the worsened sciatica symptoms is the jerking motion adding pressure that is being placed around the nerve. I mentioned earlier that sciatica is not always caused by a herniated or slipped disk. Some other causes of Sciatica could be:

Discectomy surgery is a common treatment for herniated or ruptured discs of the lumbar spine and may be used for back pain sufferers who have not responded to traditional non-surgical treatments such as anti-inflammatory medication, physical therapy, traction, spinal decompression, and epidural steroid injections.

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This is a great opportunity to detail work up each vertebrae addressing side bends with rotations, and drift's of the thorax. The position of the vertebrae dictate's the direction of the drift. The ribs are directly affected by the asymmetry in the spine. The ribs are directly affected and acted upon by the position of the segments above and below one another. Make sure to work the x,y,z planes in the tissue of the IT band lateral line and continue to horizontalize the pelvis.

Lumbar Spinal Stenosis: This is the narrowing of the spinal canal causing sciatica type symptoms. Disk problems and arthritis of the spine can cause this narrowing.

Your Sacro-Iliac Joint. The joint that attaches your sacrum (the wedge shaped bone at the base of your spine) to your pelvis. This joint is one of the main gravitational joints, meaning - all the weight of your body goes through these joints.

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For more information on discectomy alternatives see DRX9000 spinal decompression for sciatica at http://www.drx9000-spinal-decompression.com, a popular site with free info on the DRX9000 and other back pain treatments.

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Iliolumbar Syndrome: This is simply inflammation or a tear of the ililumbar ligament. This is the back of your pelvis and it extends from the spine to the iliac crest.

Piriformis Syndrome: Simply put this is pain caused by the Piriformis muscle that may be in spasm, inflamed, or irritated. Located in you buttock and laying right on top of the sciatic nerve as it exits the spine down your leg. When this muscle is inflamed, irritated or in spasm it will cause pressure on the sciatic nerve causing the sciatica like symptoms.

So you have been diagnosed with sciatica and even though your doctor explained to you about the condition, you have come looking for a bit more information on sciatica.

Sciatica can be caused by numerous factors. Most of you are aware of the Piriformis muscle that has the sciatic nerve running through or next to it. If this muscle tightens, sciatica occurs. There are also the disc irritations and joints in the lower back that can all help sciatica to occur. However...

Being extremely uncommon in younger patients sciatica can still affect most anyone. Most people who suffer from sciatica are in the age range of thirty to fifty. Most often back injury or over exerting the back will bring on a sudden onset of sciatica.

The main goals in the third-hour are to address structural relationships that limit the lateral line, Z dimension, and address associated rotations/counter rotations in the arms, legs, and torso. Develop a more balanced relationship between the shoulder girdle and thorax enabling it to move freely on ribcage and in lateral line by addressing the structures that shift the body anterior and posterior.

If this Sacro-Occipital mechanism tightens, so do the meninges. This can lead to aches and pains throughout the spine. The tightness is greatest in the lower back and leads to sciatica.

Address the interosseous membrane of low leg by addressing the x,y,z planes in the tissue and the tibia fibular relationship. Seated back work in flexion and extension, and push reach with pelvic triangle awareness. The back work at MDH should lengthen front and back proportionately. The client should be seated on rami with cued direction of awareness, rolling forward into flexion (yield) and extending up (push). Pelvic lift, general neck work and lift at the sub occipitals to end.

Sacroiliitis: The joint where your hip meets your spine is called the sacroiliac joint. When your sacroiliac joint becomes inflamed it is known as sacroiliitis. Sciatica type syndromes can be felt due to inflammation caused by arthritis or traumatic injury. Anesthetic injections or anti-inflammatory medications can take away the pain.

The main problem is these joints become habitually tight - as you cannot rest them as they are used almost constantly. To change these joints you need to target them at home each day and train them to work better. Treatment by a practitioner will help, but the breaking of habits requires daily, at home, techniques to train these joints to function correctly.

The tissue can be navigated in the three planes of movement and dimension. The Frontal, sagital, and transverse planes are functional movement planes of potentials (x,y,z) that are usually inhibited because of asymmetries in the tissue and structure. The tissue in a similar manner has three primary planes of potential, it can lengthen, rotate, and flatten (x,y,z).

Differentiate the arms from the scapula and address inspiration/expiration issues and horizontals by resolving the structures that are associated with the primary tilt contributors. The thorax to pelvis relationship of freeing eleventh and twelfth ribs, Q.L. and thoraco lumbar fascia down to L4 must all be addressed in the third-hour. Tractioning on the clients arm while it is extended above their head in sideline exposes the spatial relationships of these segments. Work to further normalize side bends with rotations in the spine and the effect that it has on the ribs.

It is a joint that is seldom checked and often forgotten about by most practitioners, and rarely treated. Most at home exercises fail to target this joint in sciatica conditions. However if this joint is not corrected effectively, sciatica will commonly become chronic.

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Does this scenario sound familiar?
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